Just an update on my upgrades. Before replacing the stock tires I was pushing my luck on a gravel road. Downhill at 25 mph around a sharp corner, combined with too much front brake left me and bike somewhat damaged. Mostly road rash for me, but the bike did have some issues.
The various reviews of the Wolftooth roadlink say that it becomes the weak point and will break if the derailleur gets hit. Well that wasn't the case for me. The derailleur hanger and the derailleur itself both got bent during the crash. But somehow the roadlink was just fine. Buying a new hanger was a bit of an ordeal. The replacement hangar did not fit the frame without being modified. I can post some pics if anyone is interested. After replacing the hanger, I installed the road link and checked everything with my alignment gauge and sure enough the road link was just fine. A new derailleur and a few adjustments I was back out riding.
The Vittoria Terreno dry g tires seem to work very well. Super low rolling resistance on the road, and they do inspire some confidence on the gravel corners with the knobbies on the edge of the tread. They are soft and will most likely wear out quickly. 50 miles on them so far with over half of that off road. Too bad I didn't have them installed before I decided to try downhill racing with street tires.
